After the most important day for the
CSU Bakersfield volleyball team since moving to the NCAA Division I level in
2007, which came on Tuesday when the CSUB athletic program accepted an
invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference as a full-fledged member
beginning in 2013 and ended the 'Runner volleyball team's independent status,
the 'Runners are headed to Montgomery, Ala. to take on Alabama State for a
two-match tilt this weekend.

The 'Runners (8-10) will face the
Hornets (4-19) at 5 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday at 11 a.m. (PDT) on Sunday. CSUB has
faced Alabama State once in program history, which occurred in 2011 when the
'Runners topped the Hornets 3-1 at the Maryland-Eastern Shore Invitational.
Alabama State will take on Jackson State on Friday night before playing host to
the 'Runners.

CSUB, a program that in 2012 has already
matched its win total of eight from 2011 with 12 matches remaining on the
schedule, has proven it is a team headed in the right direction after being
named the sixth most-improved team in Division I volleyball last year. Joining
the WAC in 2013 will only help the 'Runners as they will now be playing for WAC
championships every year, which comes with the added benefit of having the chance to earn an
automatic-qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"This is a great time to be a
Roadrunner," said CSUB head coach Jolene Shepardson. "Everyone in our program
is beyond excited that we are going into next fall with the opportunity to play
teams like New Mexico State and Utah Valley and have a chance to win a WAC
championship and go to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. We are training
for it right now. We started Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. We are already working
toward it and already loving the opportunity to be in the WAC. It is going to
be a great ride and we are excited to be a part of it and a part of it from the
beginning."

The membership also means more
structure for CSUB's schedule with against a highly-competitive WAC field,
which includes familiar opponents like Utah Valley and Seattle, in addition to
proven programs like New Mexico State, Idaho and Denver. Utah Valley joins CSUB
as a newcomer to the WAC in 2013. The 'Runners already beat Utah Valley 3-1 on
Sept. 22 at the Icardo Center and will play the Wolverines again on Oct. 20 in
Orem, Utah.

After
playing Alabama State, CSUB will return to California to play rival Fresno
State in Fresno on Thursday night.